Improvement in metallic pavements



. nection,to elasticallysuppoit cellular surface `or iron, upon a strongthundation of plank, or` the sAMuEnIE. TILLMAN, or JERSEY crrY, NEW JERSEY.`

Letters Patent No. 104,513, dated June 21, 1870.

` IMPROVEMENT IN METALLIC PAVEMENTS. I

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part oi the sume i Beit known that I, SAMUEL l). TILEMAN, of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of N ew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments inPavement; and Ido hereby declare that the .i `following is a full and` exact description thereof.

` In mypatent dated; arch`27, `1860,'1 have described a` form of surface which'is smooth to the wheel and l rough to'the horse, but, to serve perfectly, the wheel `must have a tirewhich would ytouch a fiat surface across itsfwhole width,.whicl1` in practice is not the `case after a wheel hasbcen used for a considerable time. l

Rounded tires (and all tires' are liable to become rounded by wear) are provided for and run more smooth- Y u ly on my present form,`;` which, in its several modifications, `allows the wheel either to slightly descend from the grade` surface andy toiroll over the longitudinal channels, provided between the elevations, or to run wholly on the lowest surface. `I can vary the forms t of the elevations within wide limits, but their arrrangement in lilies, and the genralproportionment of the parta-are important. i

I have also devisednovel modes of distributing the load over blocks,` of suchyor other sections of iron pavement, and haveintroduce'd woodlblocksin con-A pieces,

like,`allof which `points I esteem to be important.

l will proceed to describe what I consider the best means of carryingout my invention.

'lhc `accompanyingdrawing forms a part of this specification. p i Figure 1 is a top viewof two sections or pieces of the iron part of my improved pavement.

Figure 2 is a `view of the same fr om below.

Figure 3 is an end elevation, and

Figure 4, a crossssection. v

All these figures represent one and the same form. l Figure 5 is a plan` viewfof a` different form, but

`which may afford some of the advantages of my invention. l l i Figure G lsail end View of the same. In this modification, (figs. 5 and 6,) the elevations are wave-shaped,

l orfrdge-like, with rounded hollows, or partially cylindrical channels between. adaptedfor rounded tires. i Figure 74 shows a modification which may be of consequence in some situations. i A 1 Figure d` shows `the wood blocks in position thereon,

parts upon the plank or other firm foundation.

This form is particularly Kp l Similanletters of reference `indicate like parts in y all the figures. l 1 ,l i A is the bodylof my improvedformof iron block, strengthened on the under side by flanges, A, which der. side, are squares of equal size-' with woodenV blocks Bwwith the grain` upright, (see- 'are combined amlsellbracing, theobject being to secure the greatest strength with the least weight of metal.

It willpbe seen that the hollows or cells, on the un- They are filled iig. 8)

The depth of these wooden blocks B is a little greater than that of the flanges A. When thus filled with wood the bottom of the compound block presents a checkered surface pressing on a plank bed, C, which rests directly on the foundation or road-bed.

In ,theiedges of these compound blocks are small projectionsyAZ which lit into corresponding recesses in the adjacent blocks, so that the blocks are mutually supported by'hcing interlocked or dovctailed together Aon two sides.

If these dovetails, or provisions for interlocking, above describcdare not near enough to prevent the `toe-calli of a h'rscshoc from sinking in between the vblocks,`the edges of the blocks may be zigzaged, as

shown in lig. 7.` p t The general large rectangular form or outline of my blocks is peculiar, and involves a very important advantage.

Each is made with a wing, A, extending about one half of the length of one ot' its sides, of awiilth about one-third of such length.

There is a corresponding recess on the oppositeside equal Ato such wing, sc that, when two of my entire compound blocks are properly matched together, not only the small projections A2 fit into thc correspond ing small recesses in the other, as has been practiced with many previous pavements, but also, the wing or `large projection A of one, will just fill the large cor responding recess of the other, as shown in figs. 1

and 2. f

This construction and arrangement distribute the pressure or disturbing'force due to the presence of a i loaded wheel on the -edges orjuucticns of the blocks,

so that the loaden the edge of one block is caused to be communicated, by means of the wings and corresponding recesses, to the middle of the next block. In

'other words, the wing A reaching from the edge of one block nearly to the center of .the` adjacent block,

transfers a portion ofthe load not tothe edge but to 'near the center of its neighbor, so that there is no tendency to tilt, and both are held np firmly.

This obviates the difficulty which arises when blocks are simply squares, because, in such case, though' interlocked, thereis a tendency to a tiltingof both blocks when bearing loads along the'line of contact'.

When it is intended to use these blocks for cover'- ing the whole or the main part of the roadway, the

blocks may be fastened sidewise to each other by small side projections, not represented, in cach-block, which match into slots in the adjoining block; but when these blocks are to bc used as a tramway they are made of such width, say eighteen inches, that two lines of them placed parallel to each other, at the proper distance apa-rt, along the usual wagon track, wil-l accommodate all the ordinary range of' widths of vehicles havingftheir wheels from four feet six inches to six .feet apart. rIhese proportions may be varied, so as to adapt the tramway to the vehicles in use in different localities.

'lhe iron blocks, being cast from one pattern, are cheaply and rapidly prepared, and fit into each other, fol-minfr a solid and continuous tramway.

The mterior lower spaces in these blocks can be filled in with concrete, or sand, and they may be laid down directly on a sand, concrete, gravel, or other foundation, and, in such case, a portion of' the advantage of my invention will be realized. But they will make a preferable tramway o r pavement when laid, as I prefer, on planks C, having the same or greater width, which are to be firmly planted on asmooth foundation, and receiving the pressure from the iron portion-A through the upright bloek B, arranged as described and shown in fig. S.

All the woodused in connection with these blocks may be subjected to any of the usual processes employed for preserving it.

I will now refer again to the peculiarities kof the upper surface of the iron, and will explain some of the variations which may be made. v

rIhe wearing-surfaces of these blocks, whether used` to cover the whole roadway or only as a tramway, are made virtually rough to the horses feet and smooth toa carriage-wheel by arranging the grade surfaces, which consist of small squares, or parallelograms, a, separated so far from each other in the longitudinal line of the road that the toe or heel-calk of the horses shoe may sink into the shallow depression a little more than a half an inch wide'and from a quarter to a half inch deep between such g'rade surfaces, and thereby give the animal a firm foothold.

` A similar series of longitudinal grade surfaces is placed on either side of that first mentioned, but so arranged that the middle of each rgrade surface will be opposite the depression which separates the first named grade surfaces; in other words, the grade surfaces, running side by side, alternate in position relatively to each other, so as to break up t-he transverse line of depressions into a series, each being less in length than the width of the ordinary wheel tire.

It is evident that the wheel tire when new will roll constantly on some portion of a gradesurfaee, and will not descend from the true grade of' the road.

When,- however, such wheel tire becomes rounded by use, it will roll directly along the line over the longitudinal depressions formed by separating the grade surfaces, in this case made continuous, forthe purpose of forming a track for a rounded wheel, which is still sustained on its true grade by bearing alternately on the grade surfaces on either side of" such line of depression. Y

To accomplish this it is essential to have the grade surfaces so proportioned` in width that a longitudinal depression will come directly under the middle of' the tire of the ordinary wheel.

If the distance between wheels varied in all degrees from the narrowcst to Jthe widest, it is evident all wheels could not thus be provided for. 'But such is not the case. In the country the wheel-tracks are of uniform width, in order that the same beaten track may be used, and in the city there is also great uniformity inthe width ofwhecls of the same kind of vehicle, so that it is practicable to give each a smooth roadway.

In the instance just described, where the rounded wheel follows on the line of alongitudinal depression, the lowest portion of the tire does not reach the bottom of such depression, since the wheel is still sustained by alternating grade surfaces.

Another modification is, where the rounded wheeltire runs directly on the lowcstportion of the wearing surfaces, shown in figs. 5 and 6.Y In this case the wheel is kept in the true line of travel by a series of wave-like ridges corresponding to .the lines of' elevation a, and similarly marked, which divide the trainway or entire surface into six or other number'of separate wheel-tracks. These may be continuous, or may be separated into a series of longitudinal ridges, as shown, having sufficient distance between cach to give the horse a foot-hold when traveling directly over them, and also allow the water collected during rain to run off to the gutters on either side of the roadway.

When these ridges are continuous they will serve only for tramways, and the wearing-surtce will consist simply of longitudinal grooves and may be made of rolled iron or steel, or semi-steel, either plane on its under surface or correspondingly waved.

The sheets should be supported directly on a wood foundation correspondingly to the bed C, made to couform to the under surface of such rolled sheets or bars.

In the cases thus far described, it will be seen, the elevations and depressions on my improved block provide for a carriage-wheel running on the highest and on the lowest wearing-surface, aswell as on au intermediate grade. When these improved blocks cover the whole roadway they may run into each other transversely,in which case the elevations must he changed, so as to preserve the same relation to the roadway which they have when thc blocks are matched longitudinally, as already described.

Another modification is where I use for a tramway'm y block, having a. perfectly smooth surface, or a surface made up of very minute elevations and depressions, which could not present any definite foothold for the horse.

In lthis-case I make these blocks of cast-iron or of steel, with the wing and interlocking means, and with the upright and supporting-blocks B and lbed C, as shown, and subject them to magnetism, so that each block is a permanent magnet of slight force, to which the iron or steel horseshoe will cling with sufficient force to prevent, or aid in preventing, the horse from slippinrf.

1.v lhe blocks A with extended wings A, and cor- -responding recesses matched and interlocked, as rcpresented, so as to transfer a load on the edges to points near the center, and thus prevent tilting, as set forth.

2. The alternating arrangement of the elevations and depressions on the upper surface, sothat, while there are continuously extended depressions length# wise of the road which are adapted to partially or en.l

tirely receive the roundedtire of a wheel, the spaces between are divided into series of separate elevations, a, to afford'a hold for the feet of the horses, but, by their alternating arrangement, support the wheel continuously, as herein set forth.

3. The wood blocks B, partially inclosed in the cellular iron part A A1, and serving to support the latter witha slight elasticity, in combination, as shown, with the smooth and hard bed or foundation C, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAML. D. IILLMAN Witnesses WM. O. Dm', H. E. PRICE.

ridges, and 

